Scrolling Isn’t a Treatment Plan: What’s Missing From DIY Menopause Care

by: Dr. Karlee Tario ND, MSCP

We are living in a moment women have waited decades for. Menopause is finally being talked about out loud. Books are topping bestseller lists. Social media is packed with reels, podcasts, and hot takes. For the first time, many women feel seen.

That visibility matters. Awareness is powerful. Knowledge is essential.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth no one is saying clearly enough:
information alone rarely changes symptoms.

Scrolling is not a treatment plan.

The rise of DIY menopause care

For many women, social media and books become the first stop because the healthcare system didn’t meet them where they were. Symptoms were brushed off. Appointments were rushed. Hormones were blamed on stress, aging, or mood.

So women did what women always do when they are dismissed. They educated themselves.

That part is empowering. The problem starts when education becomes the only support.

Information without interpretation creates overwhelm

Menopause is not a single experience. It is a complex physiological transition influenced by hormones, nervous system regulation, metabolism, sleep, stress load, genetics, trauma history, and life context.

Social media tends to flatten that complexity. One reel says estrogen is the answer. Another warns estrogen is dangerous. One book swears supplements will fix everything. Another says hormones are the only option.

Women are left thinking:
• Why didn’t this work for me?
• Am I doing it wrong?
• Am I broken?

They’re not. They’re under-supported.

Hormones are not plug-and-play

DIY menopause care assumes symptoms exist in isolation. In reality, they overlap, compound, and shift over time.

Hot flashes may be influenced by cortisol.
Sleep disruption may be driven by progesterone loss, blood sugar instability, or nervous system hypervigilance.
Mood changes may be hormonal, situational, or both.
Weight changes are rarely about willpower.

Without clinical context, women are left guessing. Guessing leads to over-supplementing, under-eating, over-restricting, or avoiding effective options out of fear.

The social media trap

Social media excels at awareness. It struggles with nuance.

What it often lacks:
• Personalization
• Safety considerations
• Timing and sequencing
• Accountability
• Regulation of the nervous system
• Space for questions and real-life complexity

The loudest voices are often the most confident, not the most appropriate for your body.

Why knowing more isn’t the same as feeling better

Menopause is not a motivation problem. It’s not a discipline problem. It’s not a “try harder” phase.

It is a regulation phase.

Women don’t need more rules.
They need context.
They need support.
They need to understand what applies to them and what does not.

What actually helps women thrive

The women who feel better are not the ones who read the most books or save the most posts. They are the ones who move from information to integration.

That usually includes:
• Education that is grounded in physiology
• Personalized guidance
• Support implementing changes
• Community that normalizes the experience
• Care that adapts as the body changes

This is the gap menoPowered exists to fill.

A reframe worth holding

If you’ve been doing “all the right things” and still feel off, you didn’t fail menopause.

You were never meant to navigate it alone.

Social media can open the door.
Books can spark insight.
But healing, stability, and confidence come from supported action.

Scrolling can inform you.
It can’t treat you.

And that’s not a weakness. It’s an invitation to do this differently.

My invitation to you

I see this every day in practice. Smart, capable women who have read the books, followed the accounts, saved the posts — and still feel confused, exhausted, or unsure what actually applies to their body.

That’s exactly why we created Inside Thrive.

On January 28, I’m hosting a live, guided session designed to bridge the gap between information and action.  Inside Thrive is a mini-session for women who are ready to stop piecing this together alone and want clarity, context, and real support from a clinician who does this work every day.

If you’ve been wondering whether you’re missing something, you probably are — and it’s not more scrolling.

You’re warmly invited to join me inside Inside Thrive on January 28. - REGISTER NOW!